The Need To Be Heard
By Mr.e

With the coming of warmer seasons the din out there on the roads of every town is getting a bit noisier.

You know the kind of noise: Roaring engines revved to the breaking point, nerve rending gearshifts as a misguided youngster pilots a crotch rocket down a quiet residential street, tortured rubber screeching as it applies itself to the asphalt on corners, straight sections of the road or in the mall, school or church parking lot, throaty sounding motorcycles gliding by or screaming by with a sound that resembles a really fast chain saw.

And then there are the guys with cars that pulsate, no, seem to be in the process of being physically distorted by the 'beat beast' impossible to be contained within. Moving speakers, actually.

You've seen and heard these cars and trucks, well actually you heard them first or first felt something odd, then you picked something akin to an ominous beat out of the cacophony that is modern day living. Then, (and this depends on what type of vehicle is used to transport these massive PA systems), you get to see the poor sod who thinks that becoming deaf is something that should be accomplished in one afternoon. "Earplugs? Are you talkin' to me?"

Well, I'm not one to gripe, and summer is the season to show off what you've got. Be it a finely honed and chiseled form, a wicked tan (or death defying sunburn), that classic older car you only bring out in the summer months, the motorcycle you just bought or restored, or dads really cool convertible he doesn't know you're driving around, your gorgeous girlfriend, or whatever.

It seems to be the season to let it all hang out, way out. And right in the thick of it are the guys who can't figure out a way to show you their music or their overkill sound systems that may well be worth more than the vehicles they use to drive them around in.

They simply can't help themselves and crank it up so loud that you must hear and feel them.

Noise pollution is what it really is.

So one of these rolling speakers comes to a stop beside you at a traffic light. You try not to look over. Part of you want's to see smoke start to pour out of the dashboard, or the speakers that make up the rest of the noise machine; or one of the wheels wiggle loose and fall off, to the beat of course.

Another part just wants the damned light to change so you can find some quiet airspace to drive through. But the bad side of self wants to compete. OK, not really on the same level, but that bad part of you wants to be heard too. This egocentric side demands to 'mete out' your music to the world within earshot of your factory stock stereo system that came with your ordinary vehicle.

Heck, I've done it before and I'll probably do it again: attempt to project some particular favorite music out through wide open car windows as I head to a job or just out on some other errand.

But is there any difference with loud music even if it's really good classical music; warbling out of overloaded cheapo stock speakers? Ahhh, no. It's still noise pollution.

The reactions to blaring classical music can be fun to watch too; well worth the noise sometimes. "Listen Bob ..., do you hear that ... music? Hey, it's Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by Nigel Kennedy, ... and ... what the #)%&Q@%, it's coming from that old rusted out beater truck over there with that redneck at the wheel!?!!"

I know that some things never change and loud car stereos are one (they seem to get louder each year). If you are the quivering owner of such a system, do yourself a favor. Protect your hearing!

Earplugs should be worn if you are going to 'crank' your tunes (you can even get some that aren't visible to the naked eye) Once your hearing is damaged, it doesn't come back. And that goes for you guys on public transit whose personal sound systems leak noise like a sieve and irritate the heck out of the rest of us.